Abandoned
by Carol3059
Summary: What if Ben and Alec were both in Max's unit and Alec got left behind?
1. Chapter 1

Note: Okay so in this Alec and Ben were both in Max's unit. This first chapter is set one week before they escape. I know there are other Max and Alec at Manticore stories but I hope that this is at least a little different. 

Max lay a little restless in her bunk. Jondy was actually sleeping for once, but Max couldn't. She fidgeted a little and propped up on her elbows, taking in her unit mates. They were all asleep. Jondy slept in the bunk next to her. Jondy was the only other one that didn't sleep like Max. She and Max usually stayed up way into the night talking.

On the other side of Jondy was Zack. If they had a leader, Max thought it would be him. Physically he was the strongest of all the boys. He was the one that looked out for them.

On her other side was two boys that were identical to each other in looks. But only in looks. Right next to her was Ben. Ever since she could remember Ben had been telling stories. Ben was kind of quiet otherwise though.

On the other side of Ben was his twin, Alec. Alec was kind of the opposite of Ben in everything but looks, though. Max had come up with Alec's name after something she had heard one of the guards say. It was after Alec's mouth had gotten him into a little bit of trouble. The guard had warned him of what might happen if he continued being a smart aleck. Max had actually named him after that.

Max wasn't sure why Alec and Ben were both in her unit. She had heard of the other twins, but as far as she knew, Alec and Ben were the only ones in the same unit.

Max's gaze sharpened on Alec's form when she noticed something was off about him. She checked the door before quietly slipping out of bed and going over to his. She noted with fear how his hands were trembling. He was moving his head restlessly in his sleep. She looked around nervously, remembering what Ben said about what they did to them when they got like this. She went quickly to Ben's bed, intending to wake him up when she heard footsteps outside the door. She ran quickly back to her bunk, and sighed when they moved on. When she got back up and checked on him, Alec had quieted down, and she let out a relieved breath, deciding to talk to him the next night.

-------------

She didn't get the chance to talk to Alec, though. It was the next morning during the lineup that it happened. She and the others knew that there was something off about Alec.

He was a little sluggish that morning. He fell out soon after they had been woken up seizing violently. Max and the others watched helplessly as they drug him away.

-------------

"I'm going." Max said that night to Ben. Ben was extremely worried.

"I'm coming with you." They snuck quietly out of the room and down the hall. What they saw when they found Lydecker was horrific. Alec was lying on a table. The Manticore doctors were around him holding bloody instruments.

Max and Ben went back to their unit. Ben was horrified at what they had done to Alec, of course. He didn't understand it. He went up to the roof. He said he was going to ask the blue lady why she didn't protect Alec. Max and the others stood by the windows and heard him screaming up at her.

The next day, though, Ben was actually happier. When Max asked him about that, he swore to her that Alec was alive. That he could feel it. Max wanted to believe it, but after several days and no Alec she wasn't so sure. And then she had her own worries to deal with. Her hands had started shaking as well. This time, however, when she fell out, they were all a little shocked when Zack attacked the TAC leader that was about to take her away.

The escape obviously wasn't planned and Max and Zack both noticed how hesitant Ben seemed.

"What is it?" Max asked quietly.

"We can't just leave Alec behind."

"Alec's dead." Zack whispered harshly. "Come on." After one more hesitant glance to were they had come from, Ben followed them down the hallway and towards freedom.


	2. Chapter 2

Note: This chapter takes place right after The Kids are Aiight. 

Max sat on top of the space needle. She couldn't stop thinking about what Zack had told her.

_"Max, Ben was right." Zack had said when they were still hiding out in the cave waiting for their chance to escape. _

_"What do you mean"  
_

_"Alec's alive. I saw him back there."_

Max felt guilt gnawing at her for that. At the thought that they had left Alec there. She closed her eyes as her mind flashed back to over ten years ago.

_"Where are we?" Max asked as she followed Alec into a small room that looked like an office. He turned to her briefly, his green eyes shining with mischief. _

_"You'll see." He went to one of the drawers and quickly picked the lock and opened it. He lifted several files from the drawer and handed her one. She looked over it and gasped. _

_"This is me!" Alec grinned at her. _

_"Yeah." He said, sitting across from her on the floor with several other files. "Just don't tell Zack or Ben about this. I really don't feel like getting a lecture on breaking the rules." _

_"Ben doesn't lecture." _

_"No, but he does freak out on me. 'They'll send you downstairs if you get caught!'" Alec scoffed a little. "And Zack does lecture. I swear, sometimes he's worse than Lydecker." Max gasped and reached out to slap Alec on the head. _

_"Don't say things like that." Alec simply rolled his eyes at her and opened one of the files. Max skimmed through her own. She looked up when Alec snorted. _

_"What?" _

_"Surprise, according to Lydecker, Zack IS the perfect soldier." Max scowled at him and snatched the file from his hand.  
_

_"You shouldn't be reading other peoples files." She sorted through the ones on the floor. _

_"Here," she handed him one. "Read yours." Alec frowned at his file.  
_

_"But where is the fun in that?"_

Max smiled as the memory played in her mind. But her smiled withered when she thought about all the bad things they had gone through at Manticore and what Alec was probably going through right now. She was frustrated that she couldn't do anything about it, too. Not unless Logan suddenly found where they were.

-----------

An hour later, Max found herself at Logan's, staring out of the window.

"Max, you okay?" Logan asked finally.

"Yeah." She turned to him, forcing a smile. He frowned at her.

"You know, you don't have to lie to me. You can tell me." She thought about that and smiled a little.

"It's just something Zack said after he got out." She shrugged and sat down on the couch.

"What was that?" She looked up at him briefly, debating whether or not to tell him about this and then looked off, staring into space.

"It was about one of the twins."

"Twins?"

"Ben and Alec, they were in my unit. They were twins. Alec was the younger one"

_"Telling stories again, Ben?" _

_"Their true, little brother." _

_"You know, your only an hour older than me"  
_

_"I know, but that still means that I'm the older brother."_

"We were in lineup almost a week before we escaped. Alec fell out from a seizure. And they took him away. We thought he was dead."

_"You know what'll happen if they take you away. If you become defective." _

_"What?" _

_"They'll take you downstairs. To them."_

"What do you mean, you thought he was dead? He's not?"

"No, he's not." Max said simply.

_"He's not dead, Maxie. I know it. I can feel it."_

Max rested her head on her knees, wishing so badly that she had believed Ben back then.

Note: I was thinking about changing some things in Pollo Loco. Like the fact that Ben dies. I don't know if I should though.


	3. Chapter 3

Note: This chapter takes place sometime after Pollo Loco. I am going to flashback to that episode to explain things, though. 

Ben sat strait up, staring wildly around. What the hell happened? He looked at his surroundings, confused for a moment. He was in a cell. His heart stopped momentarily when he realized exactly where he was. He was back at Manticore.

Ben closed his eyes, trying to remember exactly how he had gotten here. Max's face came into focus and his eyes flew open. A memory played out before him. He remembered being in the woods. He'd been hurt.

_Max held him slightly upright in her arms. She snapped her head up when she heard footsteps approaching in the distance, though. Ben heard it too and cringed.  
_

_"You have to go." He said. "Their coming"  
_

_"Ben, I can't leave you." _

_"You have to." He said forcefully. He couldn't walk, and she definitely couldn't carry him. There was no way out for him. Fear seized his heart at what they would do to him there. He knew where they would take him. He pushed Max away from him. _

_"Go!" Max stared at him for a few moments, tears running down her face before she turned and ran._

Ben had to blink back tears at the memory. He remembered what had happened before that too. He had attacked Max. Tried to hurt her, and she still didn't want to give up on him. Other memories surfaced with that one, ones that made him wish silently that Max had just killed him in those woods. He had killed people. He had killed innocent people, and for what? The blue lady?

Some part of him realized that he had been sick. That he obviously wasn't now. Whatever had been wrong with him, Manticore had obviously fixed.

Remembering what he had done was odd. It was sort of like remembering a dream. Like it wasn't really him that did all those things. But then he remembered the feel of the last man he had killed neck snapping in his hands, and he knew. He was a monster. A killer.

Ben got up off the hard bunk that he had been lying on and paced the room to try and distract himself. He was so caught up in his thoughts that he didn't notice for several minutes that his leg was fully healed. _How long have I been here?  
_

He remembered seeing Lydecker in the woods, but that was the last thing he remembered. He wondered what would happen to him now.

------------

"I doubt regular reindoctrination would work. And we don't know what that could do to 493. He's schizophrenic." Lydecker told Sandoval calmly.

"Then what do you suggest? You refuse to put him down. What else is there to keep him under control?" Lydecker smiled slightly.

"494 is still undergoing reindoctrination, isn't he?"

------------

When they came for him, Ben had been scared. They were either going to kill or torture him, he figured. He was led into a small room with a window and strapped to a chair facing it. He frowned when he got a view of the other room. There was the table were they strapped you down so they could torture you. He could see the machine that held the laser. He remembered that room from when he was a kid. So, why the hell was he just facing that table and not strapped to it himself? He looked towards the door when it opened and Lydecker walked in.

"Feeling alright, 493?" Ben scowled a little at the man, but didn't answer.

"I guess your wondering why your not in that room yourself? Well, we didn't think normal reindoctrination was right for you, given your state of mind and the fact that you have been on the outside for ten years." Lydecker moved closer to him and smiled a little. "But don't worry, I do have something planned for you. I have a surprise for you 493."

Lydecker gestured to the other room. Ben watched as the door opened in the room and two guards walked in, dragging someone between them. Ben's eyes widened in horror when he realized who it was they had.

"Now, here's how this is going to work, 493. You are going to follow orders. You are going to be the perfect little soldier. If you aren't, if you disobey orders in any way..." Lydecker gestured to the room, where the other men were strapping Alec down to the table. "I'm not going to do anything to you, 493. It'll be 494 who pays the price for your disobedience." Ben's eyes flew even wider and he focused on Alec's face. Alec's face was already badly bruised and he seemed incredibly weak.

"494 has some time left before he gets out of here." Lydecker continued. "You are going to watch, and if you ever disobey me, he goes back on the table." Lydecker smiled again and went to the door. "Enjoy the show, 493." Ben struggled uselessly with his restraints as they prepared the machine on the other side of the glass. His heart beat wildly in his chest and he thought he might be sick. He had to blink back tears when his brothers hoarse screams reached his ears.


	4. Chapter 4

Ben wasn't sure how long it went on. How long he was forced to watch his little brother being tortured repeatedly before he was taken to the basement and put in solitary.

Ben lay on the hard bunk, unable to sleep.Alec's agonized screams haunted him. It had felt like they were ripping at his soul. He didn't even know why Alec was being reindoctrined. Lydecker had simply said that Alec hadn't followed orders and was paying the price. Lydecker had told him that this wasn't Alec's first time in psy-ops, though. Ben thought the man took great pleasure in telling Ben exactly why Alec had been sent down there before.

Guilt squeezed Ben's insides painfully. It had been his fault. Both times Alec had been sent down there before. He had left Alec here to be tortured. And he had been tortured because of him.

He shuddered at the thought that Alec had been the one who paid the price for the murders that he had committed. Ben got up and began pacing the small cell again. He had to admit, Lydecker had him. He would follow orders. There was no way that he would ever knowingly cause Alec pain again.

------------

Alec lay on the bunk in the basement, waiting for the pounding in his head to cease. He hurt all over, which really wasn't new. He wasn't sure how long it had been going on, time seemed to blur together, especially since he hadn't been outside since before all this started.

His face was a mass of bruises from the repeated beatings that he had taken. Three of his fingers on his right hand were broken, which Lydecker had set himself cruelly. He was incredibly weak at the moment.

Alec had actually started to wish that Lydecker hadn't come back. Alec knew that Lydecker was the reason he wasn't put down. He knew that Sandoval had wanted to put him down, but Lydecker had rescinded that order.

Alec knew, though, he deserved to die. After what he did, he wished that Sandoval had put him down. Lydecker, Alec had come to realize when he was just a child, was more vindictive than Sandoval. He didn't want to kill them, just torture them.

Alec jumped startled suddenly when he heard cursing coming from one of the cells around him. Then Alec himself cursed when the motion jarred his injured ribs.

Looked like someone else was down here with him. Most of the anomalies down here couldn't even talk. Mostly they just made a lot of indistinct racket. It had to be an X-series. Alec settled back in to wait. It didn't really matter if someone else was down here. There was nothing that could help them or him.

-------------

Ben looked around sharply when he heard someone curse just after him. Someone else was down here? Ben went to the tiny barred window in the cell door and looked out, wondering if it was his little brother.

Ben guessed it didn't matter in the end. It wasn't like he could help Alec down here. But he swore he would help Alec, no matter what. Even if he had to follow everyone of Lydeckers orders to a hilt.


	5. Chapter 5

Note: Okay, so Ben and Alec finally see each other again in this chapter. Sorry, I really suck at writing fight scenes, I hope it was okay. 

Ben did follow orders. He wasn't sent on any missions, though. They still didn't trust him enough for that. He didn't get to see Alec. Ben was pretty sure that was to keep Alec in line not him. They didn't want Alec to know Ben was there.

Nothing much changed with a change in command. Lydecker disappeared and Ben found himself taking orders from someone else. It didn't really make a difference, Ben supposed. They were still using Alec against him. But Ben was pretty sure that Renfro was even more vindictive than Lydecker.

One thing did change, however, with Renfro in charge. Ben was finally able to be in the same room with his brother. It was strange that she would let this happen and Ben wondered what she was up to. Besides the fact that the first time he had seen his brother for ten years they would be sparring.

When his designation was called, Alec stepped into the circle, waiting. He still hadn't seen Ben.

"493!" Ben stepped in front of Alec and watched his brothers reaction. He was impressed when Alec's face showed surprise for only a split second before becoming impassive again. But Ben was probably the only person in existence who could read Alec. Ben took in the fact that Alec was a little more tense than he should be, that his green eyes were a little more hard than they normally were. Alec was angry. No, Ben thought, as he watched Alec bounce a little on the balls of his feet, getting ready for combat. Alec was more than angry.

Ben watched his brother warily. He was pretty sure he wouldn't win this. Even when they were kids, he had never been able to win against Alec while sparring. In fact the only people that had been able to was Jondy and Max, and Ben was pretty sure that Alec had let them win. He still remembered how surprised Zack had been when Alec had beat him for the first time.

_"Zack's a good fighter. He knows the moves and follows the rules. His problem is he doesn't have any imagination. He wont deviate from the rules set down. That's why I beat him."_

Ben had been surprised at his brother's brilliance. He had found Zack's weakness and exploited it expertly. And when Alec was really angry he was near to impossible to beat. And now, as he looked across to his brothers cold green eyes, Ben knew he was going to loose.

The whistle blew and Alec and Ben began circling each other warily. Before Ben could even blink, Alec was on him and the fight began. Ben blocked what would have been a devastating blow to the head but took one to the abdomen that knocked the air out of him. Ben recovered quickly, though and blocked another fist intended for his jaw. They matched each others blows for a few seconds, neither getting one in before Alec's ten extra years of training and natural ability to fight won out and he landed an elbow to the back of Ben's head after blocking Ben's fist. Ben stumbled a little and Alec took the opportunity to land a kick to the back of Ben's knees. Ben crumbled to his knees, and Alec stepped back. He finished the fight with a punch to the side of Ben's face. Ben lay on the floor for several seconds, staring at the ceiling. Finally he got up and fingered his bruised jaw before heading in Alec's direction towards the showers. He caught up with Alec before he got there and stopped him.

"Look, I know your mad at me. And I'm sorry. I'm sorry for everything." Alec turned to him, and to Ben's suprise, Alec's green eyes were shining with amusement.

"What makes you think I'm mad at you?" Alec turned back to the showers and waved a hand over his shoulder. "See you around, 493." Ben stood there, frozen in place for a few seconds. _Oh, no. Alec wasn't mad at all._

Note: I just figured that Alec would be a little angry with Ben for leaving him behind and getting him sent to psy-ops. After all, he was kind of on the show at first and he didn't even know Ben. Max shows up next chapter!


	6. Chapter 6

Note: This chapter goes through Designate This from Alec's point of view. 

Alec and Ben rarely saw each other after their sparring match, and when they did, they couldn't really talk, which was something Alec was actually grateful for. He didn't want to talk about the past. About them leaving him behind. He supposed Ben was right, he was a little angry.

Despite that fact, though, Alec still hated the fact that Ben was here. That he had gotten caught. And then he thought about why Ben had gotten caught in the first place.

When they had told Alec that Ben was killing people, he hadn't believed them at first. He never thought that his brother would turn into a serial killer once on the outside. At least whatever had been wrong with him had been fixed apparently.

Alec mainly avoided getting into situations that would give Ben the chance to talk to him. It was pretty easy, considering where they were. It was a couple of months after his meeting with Ben when he got another shock.

He'd seen her in lineup. At first he had been sure it wasn't her, that it was just her twin, 453. He knew that 453 was on a long term undercover mission but maybe she had completed it. And then he had watched her and he was sure. He knew her, there was no mistaking who it was. It was definitely Max.

-----------------

Alec lay on his bunk, unable to sleep. He had just gotten his orders form Renfro. He didn't really understand at first why Renfro trusted him with this assignment with his history. And then she had threatened Ben. Said that it was his chance to prove himself again and if he screwed up, if he helped her escape and went with her, she was going to make his brother pay. Alec was trapped, though he wouldn't have left even without the threat from Renfro.

Alec thought about Max. He wondered how much she had changed from the girl he had known as a child. He had liked Max back then, and Jondy. They were probably the people he spent the most time with, besides Ben, due to the fact that Alec had always had trouble sleeping as a child and Jondy and Max never slept. He smiled as some of the better memories from his childhood flashed through his mind and one of his favorites coming to the forefront.

_"Check it out." Alec said, grinning at Jondy and Max. He led them over to the corner of the room so they wouldn't wake anyone else up. Then he pulled something out of his pocket. It was a small pack of something. He opened it and spilled a bunch of cards out into his hand._

_"What's that?" Max asked curiously, taking one and looking it over._

_"Don't know." Alec said. Jondy frowned at him. _

_"Where'd you get it, anyways?" Alec just shrugged, grinning mischievously. Jondy's eyes widened and then she grinned as well._

_"You stole it?" She shook her head at him. "You know Ben will be angry if he finds out." Alec shrugged again._

_"Then don't tell him." Jondy grinned again and slapped his arm playfully. _

_"You really are bad, you know that?" She looked at the card she was holding._

_"What do you think these are for anyways?"_

Alec lay back in his bunk as the memory played out in his mind. Tomorrow he would being seeing Max again. Tomorrow he would be forced to betray her.

--------------

Alec blew out a nervous breath when they came and got him to take him to Max. He didn't show it, but his heart was racing a little for a reason he wasn't sure of. When he stood outside of her cell door, waiting for them to open it, he couldn't help but to take another breath to calm his nerves.

Alec stepped into her cell and stopped short in the doorway, staring at her. She was lying on the bunk, but sat up at the sight of him.

"Ben?" She asked, and Alec landed harshly back to reality, and for some reason felt anger spike in him. He didn't show it, though. He simply tilted his head to the side and stared at her.

"Guess again, Maxie." Max's eyes widened and she gasped.

"Alec?" Before Alec could do anything else, she had flung herself at him, hugging him tightly. "I'm so glad your okay. We thought you were dead." Alec pulled back, frowning.

"Wait, you thought I was dead?" Max nodded.

"Yeah. When the guards drug you away, Ben and I went to find out what they had done to you. We saw you in that room with the Manticore doctors. There was blood..." Alec waved it away and walked a little around the room. He felt the rest of his anger at her and the rest of them leave him at her words.

"I heard Zack died." He said abruptly, staring at her. She nodded.

"Yeah. He actually died saving me." Alec raised an eyebrow.

"Really? That's not really surprising. You always were his favorite." Max sat down on the bunk and Alec slid down to sit by the wall across from her.

"Tinga died too." She whispered, looking slightly depressed. Alec's eyes widened. He had liked Tinga. Maybe not as much as Max and Jondy, but still...

"You were there." She nodded, looking down. "Sorry." Alec took her in as she stared at the ground. He couldn't help but to notice how beautiful she was now. Of course all trangenics were good looking, it was in their genes. But there was something about Max that always seemed more captivating to him than the others.

"What are you doing here?" She asked suddenly, looking up at him. "I mean, why would they send you to me?" Alec grinned at her question.

"I'm your breeding partner."

"What?"

"Yeah." His grin widened. "We're supposed to...how did they put it?" He tilted his head to the side and scratched the back of it, pretending to think. "Copulate every night until you get pregnant." Max's face twisted in disgust.

"That's disgusting."

"Oh, come on, Maxie." He said, his eyes shining with amusement. "I'm not that bad." She scowled a little at him, and rolled her eyes.

"Shut up, Alec." He held his hands up in mock surrender.

"Your loss, sweetheart." Max's scowl deepened a little, but he could tell that she was enjoying this.

"Don't call me sweetheart."

He and Max simply talked until the guard came to get him and take him back to his cell. He felt a pang of guilt as he left.

The next night he found himself sitting on Max's bunk in her empty room. The guilt was raging strong now. Renfro already knew about what Max was doing. In fact she had been the one to tell Alec, and to order him to help Max escape.

Finally, he heard her climbing back up through the hole. When she caught sight of him, he simply raised an eyebrow to her.

"Forget we had a date?" Max pulled herself out from under the bunk and looked at him nervously. He hopped off the bunk and held it up for her to put the brick back in place.

"Your not going to..?"

"Call in the storm troopers?" He shrugged and felt another pang of guilt. "No." She nodded. After a few minutes he got up and was led out.

The next night when he came into her cell, she looked horrible. She got up weakly, and he frowned in concern.

"They put you down there, didn't they?" He asked, reaching out an arm to steady her when she stood.

"I'm okay." She said. Alec steeled himself and told her what Renfro had told him to tell her.

"What did you tell them, Max?" She looked up at him.

"What do you mean? I didn't tell them anything."

"Are you sure? Cause I heard they were sending an X-5 to take out some hacker friend of yours."

"Oh, god." Max paled and lifted up her bunk and kneeled down to pull the brick out.

"Max, what are you doing? Your in no shape for this."

"I have to."

"Max, there are X-7's in the field. They'll catch you in no time."

"Then help me." She looked up at him. "No, better yet, come with me." Alec shook his head.

"I can't leave, Max."

"Why not? This place is horrible, Alec. Why can't you leave with me?" Alec eyed her for a moment, trying to decide what to tell her. If he should tell her why he wouldn't have left even without Renfro's threats to Ben.

"I'm not leaving Ben and the others behind, that's why." Max's eyes widened and she nodded.

"Then help me get out. I can't let anything happen to Logan." She reached up and put a hand on his arm. "And I promise that I'll try everything I can to bring this place down. I wont leave you here again like I did last time. I promise." Alec closed his eyes, and nodded, the feeling of guilt almost becoming overpowering.

Note: Wow, this chapter turned out to be so much longer than my others. Next chapter we'll see if Alec goes through with his orders like he did on the show


	7. Chapter 7

Note: This chapter starts out at the end of Designate This. 

Max let out a smile as she ran towards the perimeter fence and jumped over it. Fear drove her to run faster, though. Fear that she had some how betrayed Logan while in Psy-Ops. She couldn't help but to be afraid for the others at Manticore too, though.

She had told Alec that she would find a way to take down Manticore. That she would get Alec and Ben and all the rest of them out of there, and she hoped that she wasn't lying to him.

When she got to Logan's apartment and climbed silently into the window, she just stood there. She stood, watching him at his computer. She couldn't believe she was finally here. Her heart burst with relief when she realized that he was okay, too. She watched him as his head snapped up. He knew that someone was in the room. He turned in his chair and stopped, shocked.

Logan sat there for a moment before getting up slowly, walking towards her. He opened his mouth to speak, but was cut off by a yell.

"Stop!" A very familiar voice yelled from behind Logan. Max turned to see Alec standing there, gun in hand.

"Alec?"

"Stay away from him, Max." Alec ordered. "Trust me, you'll be sorry if you don't." He turned the gun to Logan threateningly but kept his eyes on Max. Max felt anger rise in her.

"So, what is this?" She asked. There was only one way he would have been able to get out with her, though. "Following orders." Alec smirked at her, though, but Max couldn't help but notice an unnamed sadness in his green eyes.

"No, Max. I'm not following orders." He sighed, but didn't lower the gun.

"Then why do you have a gun still pointed at us?"

"Because I need you to listen. Look, Renfro infected you with a virus before you left." Max caught Logan's eyes widen in fear and apparently so did Alec.

"Don't worry." Alec said. "Your genetics will keep it at bay. It wont affect you."

"Then what's the point?"

"It's a DNA specific retrovirus, Max. Activated by touch." He gestured with the gun to Logan. "Specified to his DNA. Which means that if you touch him..." Alec let the sentence hang, but Max got it and moved a little bit further from Logan. She felt anger rise in her again, though, and glared at Alec.

"You knew, didn't you? While you were 'helping' me escape. It was all a plan, wasn't it? Manticore never knew where Logan was. I was the X-5 sent to take him out, wasn't I?"

"Yes, I knew." Alec said, finally lowering the gun. "But do you honestly think I could have stopped it?" Alec's eyes flashed angrily back at her. "They'll kill me if they find out about this, Max, but it was the only way that I could see to warn you without alerting Renfro. The woman's not stupid, Max." Max felt her anger falter. Logan was quiet, staring at the two. He still looked a little bit in shock.

"Your going back aren't you?" Max asked Alec.

"I have to." He said simply. Max's gaze moved frantically around for a bit, and landed on Logan's computer when she saw something.

"Wait!" Max said to Alec as he started towards the door. She ran over to Logan's computer. "You found the location of Manticore?" She asked Logan. His computer was set up for another eyes only hack, this one revealing the location of the base. All she would have to do was press enter. She looked over at Logan but he still seemed to shocked to answer. Alec walked up next to her and looked at the computer.

"Max, you know what she'll do if you press that button." He warned. She looked up into his eyes, determined.

"Which is why we'll both go back and get everyone out."

"Max...Max, I'm not sure this is such a good idea." Max ignored his uncertainty, however and pushed the button. The stood there for a second while the broadcast started before grabbing his hand.

"Come on!" She dragged him out of the apartment. She thought she vaguely heard Logan calling to her.

-------------

Alec and Max stopped short at the top the hill overlooking Manticore. Alec saw one of the windows blow outwards with flames and he cursed.

"We need to split up!" Max yelled as they ran towards the base. "Find away to release the doors!" Alec simply nodded as they came to the fence and jumped over it. After entering Manticore, he and Max took opposite directions.

Alec knew where he was going. He raced to the bottom level, where he knew they were keeping Ben.

--------------

Ben jerked awake in his bunk when he heard the sounds from outside his cell. He stood up and went to the tiny barred window and looked out. He heard an explosion sound in one of the higher levels. What the hell was going on?

Ben jumped startled when a familiar face appeared on the other side of the bars.

"Alec! What the hell is going on?!"

"Oh, you know. Max decided that she didn't like living here anymore." His face grew serous for a moment. "I can't get these doors open. Renfro's burning the place to the ground, Ben." Ben stepped back a little at the weight of those words.

"Then, why are you here?" Ben asked. "You should get out." Alec grinned at him.

"Not a chance." Ben was about to retort when a loud alarm went off and the door to his cell and all the others swung outwards. Alec's grin widened when Ben stepped out.

"Nice job, Maxie." He said quietly. "Now, we have to get out of here." Ben and Alec raced through the building again. They had very little trouble with the guards, though there were still a few there.

They were on the outside, almost out when Ben heard Alec cry out in pain beside him. Ben looked around and. Alec was holding the side of his abdomen, blood seeping from his fingers. There was an X-7 not to far away, holding a gun. The kid aimed for Ben but before he could shoot Ben blurred over and landed a kick to the side of the kids face, knocking him out.

Ben sprinted back to Alec and caught his brother as he wavered on his feet. Alec gritted his teeth as Ben slung one of his arms around his shoulder.

"I got you, little brother." He said.

Ben and Alec made it outside the perimeter when Ben felt Alec sag beside him. Ben hefted more of his weight, fear coming to his heart. Alec's eyes fluttered and then closed. Panic raged momentarily in Ben as he followed Alec's weight to the ground. And then he hefted his brother into a fireman's carry and started running as fast as he could under Alec's weight. He would not let Alec die.


	8. Chapter 8

Ben found himself after some time laying Alec down in a rundown barn on the outskirts of town. He obviously couldn't take Alec to a hospital, and was hoping that the injury wasn't to bad. He went to Alec's side and ripped his shirt open to reveal the wound. 

Ben sighed in relief when he saw that there was an exit wound. Alec's breathing was pretty normal as well. Ben shredded Alec's already ripped shirt and pressed the clothe into the wound.

Alec drew in a sharp breath and his eyes snapped open when Ben pressed down on the wound. He gritted his teeth to keep from crying out.

"Sorry. I just need to stop the bleeding." Alec nodded a little.

"So, thanks for coming back for me." Ben said, not only trying to distract Alec but also meaning the words. Alec's eyes snapped open.

"You knew." Alec said through gritted teeth.

"Knew what?" Ben asked, frowning.

"Wasn't dead. Knew I wasn't dead." Ben let out a breath and sighed, closing his eyes for a moment.

"Yeah, I knew you weren't dead." Alec nodded, seeming to accept this, but Ben could see the barely concealed hurt and anger through the haze of pain in Alec's eyes.

"Knew it too." Alec said. "Always knew. Even when-even when you weren't there." Ben nodded, knowing the truth of that. He had always known that Alec was alive somewhere. Even when he had gone off the deep end. Ben looked down into Alec's eyes and saw the questions in them that Alec would probably never ask out loud.

"I'm so sorry, Alec. I'm sorry that I left you behind. I'm sorry that you paid for the things I did." Alec grimaced.

"It's fine." He said, but Ben could see that he was lying. Ben sighed. There was no way that he could ever make that up to Alec, but at least he could try. He looked down at the wound, and let out a relieved sigh when he realized it had at least stopped bleeding.

"Guess those amazing healing genes are finally kicking in." Ben said. Alec shrugged again and tried to sit up, but Ben pressed him back down.

"What are you doing? Do you want it to start bleeding again?" Alec shot him a glare but didn't try to get up again. Ben supposed it was more from the pain than anything else.

"Look, Alec, I know that there isn't any way that I can make up what I did to you, but I am going to try. I'm not going to leave again."

"I told you it was fine." Alec said, his sharp tone giving the lie to his words, though. "And I am going to leave." Ben stared at Alec.

"What?" Alec shrugged, or tried to in the position he was in.

"I've been locked in one place for all of my life, you really think I want to stay in one city for the rest of it?"

"But, what about Max? I mean, she's probably going to be worried about us. And I'll bet she wants you to stay." Alec laughed at that, but stopped short and winced.

"I'm sure she does." He said after a few moments. "And then we could have a nice family reunion, just the three of us."

"Would that be so bad?" Ben asked.

"I'm not apart of that family, Ben." Alec said abruptly, and then he groaned. Ben had the feeling that he hadn't meant to say that.

"Look, I'm not another one of Maxies brothers. All that changed when you guys escaped."

"Your angry at Max, too."

"No, I'm not angry at Max." Ben searched Alec's eyes and realized he was telling the truth on that one. Alec let out a frustrated groan. "Look, can we just get the hell out of here?" Ben nodded, and stared at his brother for a few moments before going to help him up. Now, he needed to find a way to get Alec to stay.


	9. Chapter 9

Note: Sorry you guys that this took me so long to update. I plan on updating at least one more chapter today or tomorrow, though, so I hope that makes up for it some.

This chapter goes from Max's point of view and I'm starting it from the point were Max released the locks on the cell doors.

--------------

"Find her." Renfro yelled at the guards. She cursed a little. Then she gasped as an arm wrapped around her neck.

"Naughty language." A voice said in her ear.

"452."

"I told you before." The girl said, wrenching Renfro's arms behind her back. "My names Max." Max cuffed Renfro's hands and turned to face her.

"You know, on second thought, you can call me 452." She began dragging Renfro behind her easily.

"What do you think your doing, 452?"

"Getting answers. And your going to give them to me."

"And if I don't?" Max smirked at the woman as they reached the outside yard.

"Then you'll get to see what a genetically engineered super soldier can really do." They reached the outside with little problem. Most of the people still left there were running for their lives at the moment.

Max contemplated what she should do. She couldn't take Renfro to Logan's, she needed a safe place. Max felt a wave of relief when she saw a small rundown barn. That would do until she could talk to Logan.

Max got a surprise when she started into the place though. She stopped short at the sight of Ben and Alec. They looked like they were heading out, though. Max frowned. Alec had his jacket completely zipped up and it looked like Ben was supporting some of his weight.

"What happened?" She asked as she came closer, still dragging Renfro behind her. Alec and Ben both looked up at her.

"Hey, Maxie." Alec said, pushing himself up to stand, although he did waver a bit.

"Are you hurt?" Alec shrugged.

"I'll be alright." He gestured to Renfro. "Looks like you brought guests."

"I wanted some answers." Max said calmly. Alec shrugged. His face was impassive as he stared at Renfro, and Max wished she knew what he was thinking.

"I guess we're staying for a while." Alec said calmly, not taking his eyes off Renfro.

"Alec, you shouldn't be staying here like this." Ben whispered fiercely. Max frowned even more and wondered how hurt Alec was. Alec's eyes grew hard, though, when he gave a glance to Ben.

"I'm staying." Max marched Renfro into the barn and her eyes strayed around as she dumped the woman on her butt. Max's gaze locked on a patch of the ground with drying blood on it. When she looked back towards them, Alec was trying to walk back into the barn of his own will, but he was still leaning a little on Ben.

Ben forcefully sat Alec down on the ground and ignored Alec's scowl at the action. Max knelt beside him.

"How badly are you hurt?" She asked again.

"I said I'm fine." Alec said again. His face was once again impassive and he was staring at Renfro again.

"Right." Max said, rolling her eyes. She turned to Renfro and crossed her arms across her chest. "I guess we should get started then, huh?" Renfro raised an eyebrow at her.

"What is the point of this? Manticore is gone." She asked. To Max's surprise, it was Alec who snorted at this.

"Yeah, Manticore is gone. But a lot of transgenics got out. And your bosses aren't going to let that slide, are they? What are they going to do? I mean, you nearly killed all of us when you set the place ablaze."

"No, I suppose they wouldn't let it slide, 494." She said, staring at him piercingly. Alec's face remained impassive, though, his Manticore mask firmly in place.

"Who's orders are you following?" Alec asked. His voice was calm, commanding.

"You believe that I would tell you that?" Renfro asked him. Alec cocked his head to the side.

"Yes, I believe you will." His eyes hardened. Max found herself impressed. After all, this was a woman who had been giving Alec orders for the past few months. She had outranked even Lydecker back at Manticore. The look in Alec's eyes would have scared mostly anyone, though. And the quiet command in his voice probably would have given any Manticore alumni the urge to snap to attention.

Max was broken out of her thoughts when she heard something coming from outside. Max sprinted to the closed barn door, Ben and Alec both giving her questioning glances but remaining silent.

Max fought the urge to curse when she peaked out the door and her enhanced vision caught sight of something. She ran back over to Alec.

"Can you get out of here?" Alec scowled at the question.

"'Course I can. What is it?"

"X-7's." Max said quietly. Ben's face paled a little but Alec's face remained impassive. The only indication he gave to his emotion was a slight hardening of his eyes. Max went over to Renfro.

"Max, there's no way that those things wouldn't be able to track her." Alec said, standing up and shrugging off Ben when he tried to help.

"I know." Max said. Her fist flew out and connected with the side of Renfro's head. She caught the woman before she fell. "But I'm not so easy to track. And this woman has some answers that we need."

Note: Okay, hope you liked that. I had major writers block on this story. The thing with Alec's behavior in this chapter, I know he's way more animated than that usually, but I figured he wouldn't be so open in front of Renfro. 


	10. Chapter 10

Note: I know I've been saying this a lot, but sorry. This fic has given me a major case of writers block that just wont seem to go away. I'm not abandoning it, I promise, though. I'll try my best to get the chapters out as soon as I can. 

Max jogged at an easy pace behind Alec. Ben was behind her, with Renfro over his shoulder. They hadn't had much time to debate before getting out of the barn but they had gone with the most logical choice.

Alec knew these woods better than her or Ben and he knew more about the X-7's. So, Max was following him out of the woods. They weren't going to fast, Alec was still hurt, though he seemed better. Manticore genetics kicking in. But Max was still worried. She didn't know if Alec would be able to take on any of the X-7's if it came to that. She was more than ready to jump in if it did come to that, though.

Alec stopped suddenly a few minutes later, and crouched low. Max quietly came up to him and looked over his shoulder. She braced herself with a hand to Alec's back as she leaned forward. She couldn't help but notice, for the first time, the tense lean muscle under her hand. Blinking and shaking her head, she looked out and found two X-7's a few yards in front of them.

Alec turned his head towards her at the same moment that she did. Their faces were so close that their noses were almost touching. Max stared into Alec's eyes for a second, mesmerized. She noticed for the first time how big and beautiful his eyes were, how long his eyelashes were. Max forced herself to turn away from his eyes when she realized what she was doing, though. _I mean, really_. She thought, a little frustrated. _What guy is that pretty?_

Max forced herself to focus on their problem, watching the X-7's as they seemed to be talking to each other, chalking up her momentary lapse to the fact that she hadn't had sex since the last time she was in heat and she hadn't even been able to get near Logan the last time she saw him.

_Ben is just as pretty_. A little voice reminded her in her head. _And you didn't react that way to him_. Max forced herself not to groan and not to move away from Alec. She glanced over at Alec again, who was now watching the X-7's. If she didn't know any better, she would have thought there was a faint blush on Alec's cheeks. Okay, now she was sure she was seeing things. She remembered how Alec had told her matter-of-factly that they were supposed to be having sex when he had been in her cell back at Manticore. And, okay, she really didn't need to be thinking about that.

Max refocused on what was going on around her when Alec motioned them forward. The X-7's were gone. They needed to get the hell out of here. Max focused on where they were going. Logan had given them a safe house to use seeing as how they couldn't exactly bring Renfro to his place.

She matched Alec's movements as they jogged quietly through the woods, crouched low. _He's good at this_. That same little voice said in her head. Max rolled her eyes at herself. _Who's side are you on, anyways?_ She growled at her subconscious. She didn't get an answer because really it was her, and great, now she was talking to herself. And they really had much bigger problems.

Max was pulled from her thoughts when one of the X-7's appeared out of nowhere and landed a blow to Alec's chest. Alec landed hard and didn't get up immediately. Max blurred as the X-7 got out a gun. She knocked the gun out of it's hand before it could point the gun at Alec and landed a hard hit to it's head. It hit the ground, unconscious.

Max went over to Alec, who was struggling to get to his feet. When he did, he wavered unsteadily. Max put a hand automatically around his waist to steady him.

"You okay?" She asked quietly. He nodded, but Max wasn't so sure. She pressed a hand to the wound on his abdomen, and nearly cursed when she felt the slow pulse of blood.

"Your bleeding again." She whispered.

"I'll be okay." He said, the thickness of his voice and unsteadiness on his feet giving the lie to that. Max bit her lip and looked over at Ben who was watching Alec worriedly.

"Leave her here." Max said, gesturing to Renfro. Ben raised an eyebrow curiously. Max sighed regretfully.

"We need to get him to Logan's." She said, tightening her hold on Alec. She wanted answers, but there were more important things than that. Ben's forehead crinkled in worry and he nodded.

"The X-7's wont kill her." Max said as Ben put the woman down, leaning her against the nearest tree. "Their taking orders from her." Max shifted a little and looked up at Alec. He was watching Ben with a dazed expression on his face, and Max's worry spiked up a notch.

"You going to be able to make it." Alec's eyes snapped to hers, and he frowned.

"I'll be fine." He repeated. Max nodded, but didn't release him. She wrapped one of his arms around his shoulder and kept hers around his waist, steadying him as they headed out again.

Note: So, hey, Renfro's alive in this one! Don't know when I'll get the next chap out. I'm off work for the next couple days, but like I said, writers block. I'll get it out as soon as possible.


	11. Chapter 11

Note: Yay, I got an update up today! Hope you guys like it. 

By the time they reached Logan's place, Alec was almost unconscious again. Max was getting more and more worried. They were super soldiers, but even they had a limit when it came to blood loss.

Max had already thought of that though. She was just glad that Logan had something to do a blood transfusion at his place. She stumbled through the door of Logan's place under Alec's weight. She knew it was stupid. She knew she should have let Ben take over, but she didn't want to let Alec go. It was irrational, she knew that, but she couldn't help it. Plus, Alec didn't seem to want Ben to touch him.

"Logan!" Max called once Ben opened the door. Logan came around the corner and his eyes landed on her.

"Max, thank god." He said, stepping closer.

"Logan, I need your med kit." She said urgently, shifting a little and tightening her hold on Alec's waist. Logan's eyes widened a little as he took in Alec, and then Ben. He stood still for a moment.

"Logan!" Max yelled. Alec was sagging a little against her.

"Right." Logan said, nodding and disappearing through his bedroom door. Max maneuvered Alec over to the couch and laid him down on it. She knelt by the couch.

"How do you feel?" She asked. She put a hand on his forehead in an attempt to see if he had a fever or something.

"Like I got shot." He said. His eyes were closed, and she could tell he was in pain. She ran a hand through his messy hair without really realizing what she was doing.

"Well, I need you to stay awake for me, okay?"

"Kay." He said, sounding weary. He moved into her touch unconsciously. She smiled a little.

"Max." Logan's voice startled her and she turned to him. He stood a few feet away with the kit in his hands. He came closer and set it on the table.

"Thanks." She said, moving away from Alec and picking it up. Ben walked towards them.

"Maybe I should do that." He said, sitting down next to Max and keeping his eyes on his twin.

"Do what?" Alec whispered. His eyes were still closed.

"You lost to much blood, Alec. I'm just gonna replenish that." Alec didn't answer. Max chewed her lip.

"Alec?" When he still didn't answer, she moved closer to him and touched his cheek. "Dammit. He passed out again." She took what she needed from the kit quickly. Ben's hand shot out over hers.

"Max, our DNA is almost identical." He said calmly. She sighed and nodded. After she hooked them up, she leaned down again. She ran her hand lightly through his hair again.

"He'll be okay." Ben said. She smiled up at him.

"Yeah, I know." She sighed a little and looked around the room. Logan had disappeared. She felt like she needed to talk to him, but she didn't want to leave Alec and Ben right now.

---------------

After some time, Alec's color was returning, but Ben was looking a little pale. She removed the tube connecting them.

"That's enough." She said. "I think it's working." She ran a hand across Alec's face and was relieved to find that he didn't have a fever or anything. She smiled when she found a blanket and pillow on one of the chairs. Logan must have left it. Her smile grew when Ben immediately settled down on the floor next to the couch Alec was lying on.

She stood and watched them for a few minutes, before heading out of the room. She found Logan sitting in the kitchen, facing away from her.

"Hey." She said quietly. He turned and gave her a small smile.

"Hey."

"You disappeared." She frowned.

"I wanted to give you guys the time." He said, shrugging. "He's okay?" She nodded.

"Their both sleeping. I'm pretty sure it worked, but Ben is a little weak from it."

"That's good." He said. He looked down for a moment.

"So, this virus thing, it's for real?" She sighed and sat down on one of the stools.

"Yeah, it's real." He nodded, and she could see the sadness in his eyes. It wasn't fair. She had finally gotten out. She had finally gotten back to him and now this.

"I'm sorry." She said quietly.

"It's not your fault, Max." He said, giving her another small, sad smile.

"So, you don't mind if we crash here tonight? I want to make sure Alec's alright before moving him or anything."

"No, it's fine." He said. She nodded.

"You know, we're going to find a way to fix this, right? I mean, Renfro's still alive and I mean, I doubt they would have made this thing without a cure. Alec said himself that they had one for if you and I touch." Logan nodded. He looked a little more cheerful at the prospect, but Max could still see the sadness behind that.

Max nodded and walked slowly back into the other room. She went carefully around Ben to check on Alec again. He wasn't bleeding anymore and it looked like the transfusion had done the trick.

Max smiled as she settled into the chair facing the couch, determined to watch over her boys sleep.


	12. Chapter 12

Note: I think my writers block is gone. Yay! three chapters in four days. 

"Where are you going?" Ben asked apprehensively. Alec shrugged. He put on his jacket and stopped for a moment.

"You promised Max you wouldn't leave." Ben reminded him. Max had gone to talk to one of her friends but said she would be back later. Ben really didn't want Max to kill him because Alec decided to go back on his promise. Logan was watching them both from his computer chair.

"I'm not leaving for good." Alec said, rolling his eyes. "I'll be back later."

"So, you usually break your promises?" Logan spoke up, raising an eyebrow. Alec scowled at the man.

"I'm not breaking any promises. Max freaked cause she thought I was leaving for good. I'm not. But I'm also not spending my first day out of Manticore locked in an apartment." Alec slapped Ben on the shoulder on his way out.

"Stay here." He said, grin still in place, but he let some of the anger that he still felt towards Ben bleed through. Ben sighed as Alec went through the door. Logan turned towards him.

"He is a super soldier." Logan said. "I'm sure he can take care of himself." Ben sighed again.

"Yeah, I know." He sat down on one of the chairs in the room. "Man, Max is going to kill me."

------------------

"So, you burned Manticore to the ground and brought your boys home with you?" OC asked, standing next to Max as she shaved her legs. Max nodded.

"Yeah. It's still hard to believe Alec's alive. I can't believe we left him behind." Max lowered her head a little.

"That ain't your fault." OC said. "Has he blamed you for it?" Max shook his head.

"I don't think he would, either. He was the same way when we were kids. He doesn't really hold grudges unless he feels their deserved. He's still pretty angry at Ben. Ben says it's 'cause he knew Alec was alive when we left." OC nodded.

"So, the boys pissed at big brother, but not at you?" Max shrugged.

"I guess it's 'cause I didn't know he was alive when we left." Max rolled her eyes a little. "I kind of wish I knew how he let things go like that." OC opened her mouth to respond when Max's pager went off. Max picked it up. "Logan." She said, getting up and grabbing a pair of pants.

"You just left there. What the hell does he want?" Max grinned.

"Well, I'm hoping the boys haven't killed each other, or you know driven Logan crazy yet."

--------------------

When Max got to Logan's apartment, she noticed the fact that Logan and Ben were both waiting for her, but...

"Where's Alec?" Ben threw up his hands.

"Don't kill me, Max. He took off."

"But he promised..." Ben shook his head.

"He seems to think that he only promised not to leave for good. He'll be back later." Max let out an exasperated breath.

"But he's still hurt."

"Max." Logan said, frowning at her. "He was mostly healed when he left. Besides he can probably take care of himself."

"Fine." Max said, sitting down. "But I'm still kicking his ass for taking off like this when he comes back." She looked over at Logan, who was still frowning at her. "Is this why you paged me?"

"No." Logan said, finally turning to his computer. "Take a look at this." Max got as close as she could without getting to close and looked at the computer. She saw the blinking lights in Morse Code.

"It's been going on for a while now."

"So, we have stop it, huh?" Max said.

"Wait." Logan said. "That's not all." Max frowned when he brought something else up on his computer. There was another light, this one a warning that the first signal was bogus. Max frowned.

"What the hell?" Ben asked at her shoulder. "Who would want to warn us?" Max looked up at him.

"You think we'll have to take the first one out?" She asked, chewing her lip a little.

"No way." Ben said. "The second one's stronger and it overrides the first because whoever's using it is using a code that only someone from Manticore would know. There's no way any Manticore alumni would fall for the first one now."

"So, this means we got an enemy and an ally we don't know." Max said. Ben shrugged.

"Guess so. You think the first one's Renfro?"

"Maybe. You don't think the bitch was fired after what happened?" Ben just shrugged again. Max chewed her lip, glancing back at the computer.

"I think we should do some recon." She said, crossing her arms. Ben raised an eyebrow.

"Recon?" Max nodded.

"Yeah, you know, find out who we're dealing with. If it's Renfro or someone else." Ben was quiet for a few moments.

"Not a bad idea." He said.

"What?" Logan said. "Have you gone nuts again, Ben? Why would you want to take a risk like this. You could get caught." Max noticed the flinch that Ben gave and she turned to Logan. Logan glanced at her.

"Holy shit, Ben. I'm sorry." He said, realizing what he had said. Ben just shrugged and stood up. Max couldn't help but notice how tense he was.

"Ben?" She said. He gave her a small smile and squeezed her shoulder on his way out.

"I'll meet you outside." She nodded, and turned to Logan as soon as he left.

"I can't believe you said that." Logan nodded and she could see the guilt shining in his eyes.

"I really am sorry Max. It's just, you just got out. I'm worried. I don't want to see you caught again."

"I wont get caught." She said, her face softening some. "I gotta go." She turned and started out the door.

"Max!" Logan stopped her. She turned to him. "Just be careful." She smiled a little at him and went through the door.


	13. Chapter 13

Note: One of my reviewers suggested something for this story and I incorporated it in this chapter. 

"Are you okay?" Max asked Ben when she found him leaning against the wall outside of Logan's apartment. Ben looked over at her.

"Yeah, I'm fine." Max groaned and leaned against the wall next to her.

"What?" He asked, a hint of amusement in his eyes. She frowned at him. "It's a guy thing, right. Saying your fine when your not? I swear between you, Logan, and Alec..." Ben rolled his eyes.

"And I bet your so much better about it." Max grinned at him.

"I just..." Ben sighed. "It throws me for a loop. Being reminded of it. And then I'm kind of scared that I'm going to end up that way again. But at the same time, sometimes I just forget about it. It's weird, like it happened to someone else that I just, you know, watched or that it was some sort of dream I had." Max nodded.

"Well, you were sick, Ben. It wasn't your fault. And I seriously doubt Manticore would have made a mistake when they fixed it."

"Yeah, I know." He visibly shook himself and smiled a little. "Let's go."

-----------------

"What do you think?" Max asked. She and Ben were crouched down on the hill looking down at the soldiers waiting for any transgenic dumb enough to fall for the signal.

"We could follow them back when they leave." Ben whispered back. Max nodded and settled down to wait.

"They have to know no ones going to fall for that, not with the other signal." Max said quietly. Ben just shrugged. They only ended up waiting about an hour when a military van drove up to pick up some of the soldiers. Max and Ben waited till the vehicle came to a complete stop and then stood up.

They landed as softly as they could on top of the vehicle and waited, pressing themselves down on the roof. Luckily, when it started again, they weren't driving to fast and Max strained her transgenic hearing to pick up the conversation going on inside. One of the men was talking on a radio.

"Sir, none of the transgenics showed up."

"Damn it." Max heard a male voice sound through the radio. "Get back here, now. I want to know who set up the warning signal." Max and Ben rolled from the truck just before they reached the camp.

They crouched down just outside of it. Most of the men in there looked like soldiers but a few were wearing suits. Government officials. So, the government was deciding that they all had to die. Max's enhanced eyes searched the small encampment.

Max tapped Ben on the shoulder and pointed towards one of the small buildings in the center. He nodded. Crouched low, they started into the camp. They got all the way to the building without problem but there was a guard outside, pacing a little.

Max gave Ben a look and then set out. Not making a sound, Max came up behind the guard and fastened her arm around his throat, cutting off his air. He brought his hands up immediately, trying to pry her off, but Max was much to strong for that and he soon sagged in her arms, unconscious.

Max signaled to Ben, and he gave her a nod, staying outside to stand guard while she went in. Luckily, there was no one inside the small tent. She went quickly to the desk in the center. The only thing on it was a small briefcase. She opened it, and froze.

Inside was a file. It had her designation on it. It was her. Her Manticore file. Max didn't try to read it, she simply took the files and put them safely into her jacket and closed the brief case again.

She went swiftly back out to Ben.

"Let's go." She said. "I think I found what I was looking for." Ben nodded and started outside.

"Back to Logan's." Max said, jogging beside Ben.

"What exactly did you find?"

"Me."

-----------------

By the time they got back to Logan's apartment, Max was itching to read the file.

"Thank god you guys are okay." Logan said when they walked through the door. "Find anything?"

"You could say that." Max said. Logan nodded.

"Well, I know who put up the warning signal." Max frowned.

"Who?"

"Me." Max's head snapped up to meet Alec's eyes as he walked into the room from the kitchen.

"What? How?" Alec shrugged, and sat down.

"Got a call. Some mystery caller who said he wanted to help. gave me a way to." Max's eyes widened.

"Wait. You followed someone you didn't know to do this? Alec, it could have been a trap."

"Max, I was careful. 'Sides, whoever this was knew things about me. And it helped. I mean, how many of us would have died if I hadn't done it?"

"You were careful?" Max asked incredulously. "You take off when your still hurt and then walk into what could have been a trap. Alec, you could have been killed."

"I don't know if you've noticed, Max." Alec said, getting up and looking pretty angry himself. "But I am not a kid. I can take care of myself."

"Then maybe you should stop acting like one!" Alec scoffed.

"Um, guys." Logan said. Two sets of eyes snapped towards him and he drew back a little. Max sighed and ran a hand through her hair.

"I'm going to go get some air." Max said. She walked outside to the beach. Sitting in the sand, with the file in her lap, she stared out at it. Finally she looked down at it and opened it. Mostly it was about her physiology.

She knew enough about this kind of stuff to be a little surprised at her own physiology. None of that compared to the shock she got when she turned the page, though. It was about her, too. But not just about her.

Max stared at the page. I detailed her relation to someone else. Max's jaw dropped in disbelief. So, that was why they had been made breeding partners.

Note: The fact that Alec was the one who sent out the signal? That was actually a suggestion I got in a review. So thanks to them.


	14. Chapter 14

Max had come to the realization when she was a child that she hated Manticore. And now, she just had one more reason to hate it. It was all their fault. They were the reason she was staying up all night thinking about that. 

After Max had come in from the beach she had found out that Alec had somehow gotten his own place to stay. She didn't even want to think about how he had gotten it, and she had been to shocked still from what she had read to question him on the subject.

Max had convinced Alec to let Ben stay with him, though. She had been a little surprised that it had worked. Well, as surprised as she could be about anything that wasn't in that file at the moment.

And now? Now, Max was racing around the city on her motorcycle, unable to think of anything but that stupid file. It was all Manticores fault. She found herself wanting to find Renfro to choke the life out of the woman.

The thing was, she had already been a little confused about Alec since he had walked through her cell door and back into her life. She had hoped that when she got out and back to Logan that it would pass, but if anything it just got worse.

She was teetering on the edge. Stuck between possibly wanting to go and find Alec now, or to go back to Logan's and pretend this was all a dream. The one thing she did realize in one blinding revelation as soon as she had read those words was that she had never really thought of Alec as her brother, at least not like she did Ben and Zack and the others. Not even when they had been children.

It was that realization that really scared her. Because if Alec wasn't her brother, then what was he? Because considering any other idea was out of the question. She loved Logan, no doubt about it. Except now there was doubt. A little of it that was eating away at her and had her driving around the city at night.

She really needed to talk to someone. Only thing was, she didn't know who she could possibly talk to about this. She couldn't talk to Logan, and definitely not Alec. And she didn't feel right about talking to Ben about it. She didn't want to put him in the middle.

She supposed she could talk to OC about it. But that scared her almost as much as the initial ideas the file had put in her head. Her friend was scarily insightful sometimes, and knew Max almost better than anyone. Max chewed her lip, scared that if she told her friend about this, OC would put to light those ideas.

But really, what could she do. OC knew her well enough. The woman would know something was wrong, probably from the moment she saw Max. And then she would get Max to talk, Max had no doubt about that.

Max sighed and turned her motorcycle home, ready to face what would come.

-----------------

Max sat on her couch a few hours later, the file in her lap. She was staring off into space, thinking about it when OC woke up and came into the room.

"Hey, boo." Max blinked and looked up at her, giving her a wan smile.

"Hey." OC frowned at her.

"You okay?" Max chewed her lip and steeled herself. She had been going back and forth all night about telling OC. She needed to tell someone, though, or she was going to explode.

"Not really." She sighed. OC sat down on the couch next to her.

"What's up?" Max sighed, closing her eyes and handing OC the file. She heard OC opening it and turning the pages.

"Uh, Max?" OC said after a few minutes. "You going to have to help a girl out. What's this all mean?" Max sighed again and opened her eyes. She turned to OC and looked down at the first page.

"That's me." Max said. "It's basically my physiology. My genes there on paper."

"I pretty much got that from your number stamped on the top, boo." Max pointed to the page and frowned up at OC.

"You know what junk DNA is?" Max looked back down at the file and continued without waiting for an answer. "Everyone has it. Just useless parts of us, you know? Like part of your DNA coding that isn't really meant for anything."

"So..."

"So." Max sighed for what seemed like the hundredth time. "I don't have any. Every part of my DNA is encoded for something."

"Like what?" Max laughed without humor.

"Wish I knew." OC frowned.

"This is what's got you twisted?" She asked skeptically.

"Not just that." Max said hesitantly. She turned the page. "This details the only way to unlock some of the code." OC looked at the page and her frown deepened. Her eyes locked on the designation at the top of the page.

"That's..."

"It's a detailed description of the coding of another X-5. See, this person has junk DNA like everyone else, but he does have a code hidden in his DNA as well. The codes match. Basically he unlocks mine and I unlock his."

"His?"

"We're a perfect match, too." Max said, not seeming to hear her. "Not related in anyway. That's not what I mean. What I mean is that, even on the cellular level, we sort of fit together perfectly."

"Max, who is this?"

"Alec." Max whispered, her fingers still lightly touching the page. OC's eyes widened a little and then they narrowed a bit.

"What do you mean, even on a cellular level? Max, do you like this boy on any other level?" Max snapped out of her daze and stared at her friend.

"No!" She let out a frustrated breath and OC raised an eyebrow. "I mean, I don't know."

"You don't know?" Max stood up and began pacing.

"It's just that stupid file, okay? And Manticore messing with my head. I love Logan"

"Then why does this bother you so much." Max let out another sigh and collapsed back on the couch next to OC.

"This is so not happening." OC stared at her for a moment.

"Maybe you should find out if this is for real or not."

"How?" Max looked over at her.

"Well, you could always go find the boy and experiment a little." OC grinned. Max shook her head violently.

"No. No way." OC sighed and stood up, handing back the file.

"Fine. But if you don't, then you'll never know, and you'll always be wonderin'. Haven't you had enough of that with Logan?" Max chewed her lip as OC went to get dressed for work. Maybe, she should follow her advise.

Note: Yay! So, Max maybe might realize that she might have feelings for Alec. And it only took me fourteen chapters to get there! Hope you guys liked it.


	15. Chapter 15

Denial. It was something Max was good at. Something she had come to be an expert at. Especially since she had met Logan. She had denied her feelings for him for so long until it was to late and now they couldn't be together. 

So, why was she having such a hard time this time. No matter how much she denied what she had read in the file, or what it meant, she couldn't. And she found herself thinking about things she definitely shouldn't.

She had tried to distract herself. Getting her job back at Jam Pony was easy, all she had to do was flash Normal. She had found out that Alec had actually gotten the apartment he and Ben were staying at legally. Apparently, the guy who rented it out was leaving town for two weeks, and the way the world was today, he would have most likely lost it if he didn't find someone to keep it for the two weeks. It worked out for Alec until he found something more permanent.

For some reason, this only made Max think about everything even more. She found herself seriously considering doing what OC had suggested she do.

-------------------------------------------

Ben hadn't really believed it when Alec had agreed to them living in the same place, but he was grateful. Ben had the feeling it had everything to do with the fact that Max had been the one asking.

Ben was sure he knew what was in the looks he had seen Alec sending Max's way, and Ben wasn't entirely sure that Max wasn't doing the same thing. He was sure, though, that if Maxie did have feelings for Alec that she probably didn't even realize it.

Ben lay awake in bed the first night in the apartment for several hours, thinking about his brother and sister. He was wondering how he could convince Alec to trust him again when he finally fell asleep.

His sleep wasn't peaceful, though. He had horrible nightmares that weren't really nightmares about the things he had done when he had been sick. He ended up waking up close to dawn with a scream, sitting upright in bed.

He jumped when he realized he wasn't the only one in the room. Alec was standing near his bed, staring at him with guarded eyes.

"You okay?" He asked. Ben nodded, running a hand over his face.

"Some nightmare." Alec said, his expression still unreadable. Ben nodded again.

"Yeah." Alec stood there for a few more minutes. It looked like he was fighting with himself on asking more.

"I dream about what I did." Ben said. Guilt raged in him as he met Alec's gaze. "The people I killed." To his surprise, a look of understanding crossed over Alec's face. He had expected another argument or for Alec to just close him out at the mention of this.

"Yeah, me too sometimes." Alec said quietly. Alec was quiet again for a few minutes. He wasn't looking at Ben, just staring out in space, his eyes dark. Ben wondered what Alec was remembering. Abruptly, Alec shook himself from his reverie and met Ben's eyes, his expression guarded again.

"You want to go get coffee or something?" He asked.

"Yeah, sure." Ben said, unable to help the smile that came to him. Alec simply nodded and walked out of the room. Ben sprang from the bed, his smile widening slightly. He and Alec weren't totally okay, but at least they were getting there.

---------------------------

Max did her job and avoided basically everyone. She hoped that maybe that would work, since obviously denial wasn't. Logan had paged her, and she had called him saying she had to work, which was why she couldn't come over.

She would eventually have to see him, though. And Alec. Max let out a frustrated breath as she got on her bike, preparing for another run. Why did this have to be so hard. Why couldn't she just be normal about this? Why couldn't she just go find out? Why did she have to be so scared to?

That was it, really. The bottom line. It wasn't hard to figure out. Especially since she had been thinking about this for nearly twenty four hours straight. She hated being scared. She supposed it was left over from Manticore, but she hated admitting, even to herself, that she was.

She was more than scared, though. After entertaining the idea that she might possibly have feelings for Alec, a thousand questions and fears had popped into her mind about how this could turn out into nothing but disaster.

What if he didn't feel anything for her? What if he just thought of her as a sister? What if he did, but it wasn't enough? What if the people hunting them caught up to them? What if he cheated or found he couldn't live with her?

After all, her and Logan hadn't exactly worked out well. And there was another question. Logan. She was sure that she still loved Logan. So where exactly did that leave her? She didn't love Alec. There was no way that she could. It hadn't been that long since they had come back into each others lives. And, really, she had just realized that she might have feelings for Alec when she read that stupid file.

Except this had been building for a while, hadn't it? If she was honest with herself, maybe since he had walked into her cell. And she didn't really know how to deal with it. She did know she was working herself up pretty good at the moment.

Max was so lost in thought, she barely stopped in time from plowing straight into the object of her thoughts.

"Alec!" Max cried in surprise, barely braking her bike in time.

"Hey, Max." Alec grinned at her. "Trying to kill me?" Max's eyes met his and the words she had been about to speak died on her tongue. She had spent the last night and day thinking about almost nothing but him, and now that he was here in front of her again, her brain seemed to be shutting down on her.

"Max?" He said, frowning. She barely heard him, though. She stared at his lips as they formed the words.

Before she knew what she was doing, she had leapt off the bike and into his arms, pressing her lips to his. For a moment, he was still, and then he responded to the kiss, and when he did, Max felt the world shatter around her. Her brain shut down completely and her whole body trembled.

As quickly as she had done it, though, she pulled away. She stared at him, shocked at her own actions.

"I'm sorry." She mumbled. Not even remembering her bike, she ran as fast as she could in away from him and the whole situation.

Note: I really hope that was okay. Hope you guys liked the kiss and it wasn't to bad.


	16. Chapter 16

Note: Part of this chapter has some things from Proof of Purchase in it. It's obviously going to be different, though since Alec never did the whole fight club thing in this story. 

Max ran straight back to her apartment without stopping. When she got there, she closed the door behind her and leaned against it, breathing hard but not from the run. She closed her eyes, trying to get her heart rate under control.

What the hell was wrong with her? Why had she done that? She let out a frustrated breath and ran a hand through her wind blown hair. She had just been sound wound up about everything.

And, man, did this ever make everything even more complicated. Her mind drifted back to the kiss and what it felt like. She lifted a hand and touched her lips, which still felt like they were tingling from the feel of Alec's lips.

Despite the fact that she had been trying to deny it for the past twenty four hours, and really longer if she was honest with herself, it had felt right. More than right. She had never felt anything like that before, not even on the few occasions that she had actually kissed Logan.

She slid down to sit on the floor. What the hell had she been thinking? Even if she did have feelings for Alec, that hadn't been exactly the best way to let him know. Not to mention the fact that she had run away as soon as she realized what she had done.

Max jumped and was brought out of her thoughts when someone knocked on the door. Max cringed, knowing who it was. She opened the door hesitantly and met Alec's eyes.

"You left your bike." He said when she opened the door fully. She looked out to where he had propped it up against the wall.

"Thanks." She said. He nodded, stuffing his hands in his pockets. His expression was unreadable, and she wished she knew what he was thinking.

"Can I come in?" He asked.

"Yeah, sure." She stepped out of the way and into her apartment after him. She closed the door and turned to him. He was quiet for a few moments, just staring at her.

"So, what happened." He rubbed the back of his neck in a nervous gesture. "What exactly was that?" Max chewed her lip.

"Look, I'm really not sure. I just-Well, I've been thinking about a lot of things lately and well, you one of them."

"Thinking what exactly?"

"Well-" Max cut off when her phone rang. She shook her head, keeping her eyes on Alec's, ignoring the phone. "Look, something happened, okay? And it made me realize a few things." Alec raised an eyebrow.

"What kind of things, Max? Because if you were just using me to get over Logan"

"I wasn't." Max said forcefully. "I wasn't, I just-" Max cut off again when Logan's voice came through the answering machine.

"Max, if your there, please pick up. I think I found away to fix this. I found a doctor who might be able to cure the virus. Just call me when you get this." Alec nodded a little.

"I better go." He said, walking past Max.

"Wait, Alec." She tried as he left. He didn't answer, though. Max stood in the middle of the room, chewing her lip. What was she supposed to do now? If Logan really did find the cure to the virus, then they could finally be together. Only problem was, Max wasn't entirely sure that she wanted to be with him anymore.

------------------------------

Alec cursed and punched the door when he got back home.

"You alright." Alec gave a start at Ben's voice and cursed again. He'd been so caught up in what was happening he hadn't even noticed Ben was in the room.

"I'm fine." Alec said. Ben raised a skeptical eyebrow but didn't say anything. Alec went over to the counter to get something to drink.

"Logan may have found a cure to their little problem." He said offhandedly.

"Oh." Ben said, and he looked at Alec so knowingly that Alec wanted to curse himself again for even telling Ben.

"Yeah. It's good. I mean, now she'll be happy and everything."

"Right." Ben said. He watched Alec as he poured his drink. "What about you?"

"What about me?"

"Well, are you happy?"

"What does that have to do with me?" Ben rolled his eyes a little, exasperated.

"Well, you know. If your not happy about Max and Logan getting together"

"I am." Alec said forcefully. "She deserves to be happy right"

"Yeah, but so do you"

"I'm happy." Alec said, spreading his arms wide and walking around the counter towards his room.

"Alec, you don't have to pretend. At least not with me."

"Who's pretending?" Alec smiled at him and it looked so fake that Ben wanted to shake his brother until he told the truth. "I'm alright, man." He said a little more forcefully than necessary as he walked towards his room.

Ben sighed as Alec walked away. Something had happened. He didn't know what, but he knew something had happened between Max and Alec. Ben chewed his lip thoughtfully before he grabbed his coat.

He knew he probably shouldn't get in the middle of this, but Alec was miserable and he couldn't take it when he was like that. He needed to talk to Max.

-------------------------------

Max walked into Crash, thoroughly depressed. She sat down next to Original Cindy with a sigh.

"What's up, boo?"

"Logan found an ex-Manticore tech that might be able to cure the virus."

"Then why are you so depressed?" Max gave her a look before she laid her head on the table."Oh, this has something to do with your perfect match?"

"I kissed him." Max admitted to the table. When she looked up, OC was staring at her, in shock.

"Well, guess you took the advice after all." Max nodded.

"And now I don't know what to do. Logan and I could be together in a few days if I wanted. But now..."

"Hey, Max." Max looked up at the new voice and met Ben's eyes.

"Hey." She said.

"Is this the boy?" OC asked. Max shook her head.

"This is Ben. Ben, this is Original Cindy."

"Oh, so this is big brother. Nice to meet you." She shook Ben's hand. "Now, if you'll excuse me, Original Cindy's gonna go find a drink and maybe something more." Ben watched her leave and took the seat she had vacated. He sat for a few moments, not saying anything.

"Something wrong?" Max asked finally.

"Yeah, look, Max. I know this isn't any of my business"

"What's that?"

"I mean whatever happened between you and Alec. He told me you may have found the cure to this virus that keeps you from touching Logan"

"He did." She said. Ben nodded.

"Well, Alec told me that. What he didn't tell me was what exactly happened between the two of you that's got him all moody all of the sudden."

"I-" Max chewed her lip. "I'm not sure what happened." Ben nodded again, but his eyes hardened a little.

"Look, Alec would probably kill me if he knew I was talking to you about this, but I don't like to see him hurting. So, here's the thing. You need to figure it out. And soon"

"I know that." Max said, letting out a breath. "It's just not that easy, Ben."

"Easy or not, you need to figure it out. Before you hurt Alec, Logan and yourself." He said. He got up from the stool. "I love you, Maxie. Your my sister. But I love Alec, too. You need to sort this out soon."

Max watched him leave, feeling even more depressed. He was right, of course. She sighed, and got up from the table. Maybe she should go and see Alec again. On her way out, she was distracted, though, by a tabloid that Sketchy was waving around.

Ignoring his protests, she grabbed the paper and stared at the drawing of Joshua on the front. She ran out of the bar, heading towards Logan's. Looks like this relationship stuff would have to be put on hold again.


	17. Chapter 17

Note: I skipped basically all of the Joshua hunt. Most of it is the same, though. Except that Alec wasn't searching for him with Max. And, of course, he didn't try to kill them. 

Max was happy that she had found Joshua. That he had a place to stay now and it was close by. The entire day had been long and stressful, but it had been a distraction.

Now that Joshua was fine, though, her mind was drifting back to her own problems and the fact that she was supposed to be meeting the tech now. That she might be cured soon. Ever since she had gotten out of Manticore again, so many things had been happening, she hadn't been even thinking of finding a cure. But Logan had, and he had most likely found one, too.

It was all so complicated, though, and painful. Complicated by Alec. She wasn't sure what she wanted now. She did know the only way she could know was to take the cure this guy was offering.

She walked nervously towards the place. She should be thinking that this was her salvation. That she could finally be with Logan and that was good. But instead she felt a sense of dread and her nervousness only grew as she got closer.

---------------------------------

Alec lay awake in his bed, not even trying to sleep. He wouldn't be able to sleep even if he wanted to. His brain wouldn't leave him alone. He couldn't stop thinking about Max, about the kiss.

Part of him wished desperately that it hadn't happened. He had been fine before. Okay, maybe not totally fine. He was aware that his feelings for Max had changed a while ago.

Before, though, he could suppress them, ignore them. He could be around her without it hurting most of the time. Now, though, he didn't think he could. The kiss had changed everything, at least for him.

Alec sighed and rolled over on his side, staring at the wall. Why had she done it? He didn't want to think that it was about Logan, that she would do something like that to get over Logan. Besides, if that were true, why had she run away afterwards?

But then there was the fact that she hadn't even called him all day. He shuddered at the thought that she and Logan had found their cure and what they would be doing if they did.

The thought that maybe she had kissed him and then run straight to Logan was one that he wasn't sure he could take. He didn't think he would be able to stay in this city now to watch them be together after that.

Alec frowned and sat up abruptly. Anger welled up in him. Not at Max, but at himself. He was being a wuss. Angrily he got up and yanked on a pair of pants. He needed to talk to Max, not lay in bed feeling sorry for himself.

If she wanted to be with Logan, she could. He could deal. But he still needed an explanation. He needed to know if she felt what he had felt when she had kissed him or not.

He walked to her apartment, trying not to think about what she might be doing if she wasn't there. When he got there, she, of course, was gone. The door was unlocked, so Alec let himself in. He could tell without searching that he was alone in the place.

Alec sighed, and rested his hand on the counter, thinking. He definitely didn't want to go over to Lagan's if that was were she was. He chewed his lip and tapped his fingers. Looking down, he saw a file that his hand was resting on.

He frowned. Some of the papers were sticking out and he recognized Max's designation stamped on the top. This must of been what she had grabbed on the recon that she and Ben had went on. At the time, she had said it was nothing, just her Manticore file.

Alec was about to leave when something else about the papers caught his attention. There stamped on the top of one of the papers was not Max's designation, but his. Feeling trepidation welling up inside of him, he opened the file.

He read through it quickly and stood there for a full minute afterwards, stunned. He was fully aware of what the words in this file meant. As they sunk in, he felt a rage building up inside of him.

Slamming the file closed, Alec spun and stalked out of the apartment, his anger rising with every step.

-------------------------------

Max ran her hands through her hair nervously outside of Logan's apartment. She hesitated before gripping the doorknob. She needed to do this. She needed to know, one way or another. And this was the only way she would ever know for sure.

She opened the door and walked in. She stopped in the doorway to his living room, staring at him as he sat at his computer. Despite her determination, she still hesitated. She was scared to death of what she would find here. After a minute, she cleared her throat.

"Hey." She said quietly when he turned.

"Hey." Logan said, a smile forming on his lips. Max hesitated again for a second and then she walked over to him and captured his lips in a kiss before she could chicken out. He was still for a second before he moved into the kiss, bringing his hand up to her neck.

Max closed her eyes and waited for it to happen. She waited for the world to disappear. For the euphoria that she had felt when she had kissed Alec.

When it didn't happen, she pulled back. Logan was talking, saying he couldn't believe that it had worked, that they could finally be together, but Max barely heard him. It hadn't happened. Before what that meant could sink in, though, Max felt someone else in the room.

Turning she met Alec's green eyes, and her stomach dropped at the look in them. He stood in the doorway, staring at them. Max could tell his whole body was tense, and fury radiated from his eyes. What really got to her, though, was what she could see beyond the fury. Pain. She had hurt him.

He met her eyes for a moment before turning and walking away again. Max sat still for a second, unable to move, still frozen from the look in his eyes, before she forced herself into action.

"Alec!" She yelled, springing up and towards the door.

"Max?!" Logan yelled after her. Max spared a second to turn back to him and meet his confused gaze.

"I'm sorry." She said, then she was out the door and chasing after Alec. She ran as fast as she could down to the street.

"Alec!" She yelled when she spotted him a few yards ahead of her. "Alec, please stop!" Abruptly he did. She closed the distance between them to a few feet, but stopped in her tracks when he turned to her. She could feel the fury radiating of him in waves.

"What do you want from me, Max?" He practically growled.

"We need to talk." Alec scoffed.

"You know what? We really don't. I get it, okay. You didn't mean it."

"What? Alec"

"I went looking for you." He said, his voice quiet but still filled with anger. He took a step closer to her. "Found something interesting at your apartment. So, was that it, Max? Just some experiment to see if you could unlock those secrets your so obsessed with finding?"

"It wasn't like that!" Alec took a step away this time.

"You know what, Max. It doesn't even matter anymore."

"Alec"

"Max, please." And this time the anger was there but the hurt was beginning to overwhelm that. "Just leave me the hell alone." He turned and walked away before she could say anything else.

Max had to fight the urge to scream in frustration. God, she had screwed this up so bad. Her lips thinned in determination and then she was running after Alec. When she caught up to him, he turned just in time for her to launch herself at him and take him to the ground. He grunted with the impact.

"Max, what the hell-"

"Shut up!" Max yelled. "Your going to stay and listen this time." She sat up on top of him.

"Max-"

"I said, shut up! Now then. First thing, the file. I'll admit that it was what got me started thinking about you and me maybe being more than friends, but it wasn't about just the file. It just took reading that to realize that I might have feelings for you that a little sister wouldn't. That I've never really felt that you were my brother in the first place. And when I kissed you, I admit I wasn't exactly thinking straight at the time, but that was only because I had been thinking about doing it for hours before it happened. So, it wasn't some fluke. And it wasn't some experiment."

"And Logan?" Alec asked. He was propping himself up on his elbows now, staring up at her, his expression now guarded again.

"I needed to know, Alec! I needed to know if I still felt for him what I used to."

"And?"

"And," she sighed, "kissing him wasn't like kissing you." Alec scowled up at her.

"What does that mean, exactly?"

"I love him." She said. Alec turned away from her, and she grabbed his chin, forcing him to look at her. "But I don't think I'm in love with him anymore." Alec's eyes widened slightly. He chewed his lip a little.

"What about this? You and me?"

"I don't know." Max said. She looked away this time. "I don't know where this will go. But I do know that I care about you. And not in a sisterly way." She looked back at him. "And I don't want to run away anymore." He stared at her for a few moments, and she felt her fear grow.

Then he sat up fully, with her still in his lap. He leaned in slowly and this time when their lips met, it wasn't rushed, but it still had the same effect. One thing was for sure, she wouldn't be running in the other direction this time.

Note: Well, it took me seventeen chapters, but their finally together. Hope it was okay.


	18. Chapter 18

Note: To all of you who hate Logan, sorry. No bashing here. I actually like the guy(please don't bash me for that statement!), just not as much as Alec. 

When Max had first gotten out of Manticore, she had liked learning things that normal children learned. She had actually read some books. Thing was, Max had always been a bit on the cynical side, even when she had been that young. So, she had always sort of scoffed at the idea that a simple kiss could make the world go away. That a brush of lips could make your entire body shudder, and your brain shut down. Max had never believed in that kind of stuff.

And then she kissed Alec. Max wasn't sure if she could ever describe what it felt like. In fact, she was sure that she wouldn't have been able to string two words together at the feel of Alec's lips on hers, on her jaw line, on her neck.

Sitting on Alec's couch in his apartment and with the feel of her lips on her and one of his hands tangled in her hair and the other trailing down her spine, Max wasn't sure how it could get any better than this, and they hadn't even had sex yet.

Maybe it was a transgenic thing, because her hyper-aware senses were definitely working for her at the moment.

"Alec, wait." She had to force her body to comply as she pulled back from Alec.

"What is it?" He asked, frowning.

"We can't do this yet." She said. Alec's frown deepened and his eyes darkened a little. Reading in those eyes what he was thinking, she put a hand on his arm.

"I'm not runnin' away again, Alec." She smiled a little at him. "I promise." Her smile faded. "But I owe Logan more than a quick apology runnin' out his door."

"Oh, right." Alec said. His hand dropped from her hair, and he looked down a little.

"Hey." She put a hand on his chin, lifting it. "I'll be back, I promise." He nodded, smiling a little. Leaning in she kissed him softly.

"You want me to come with you?" He asked when she pulled back.

"No. I need to do this." He nodded a little.

"You sure?" His asked, his expression now unreadable.

"I'm sure." She said. She squeezed his arm. "Trust me." He grinned a little at her.

"I trust _you_." She smiled back, rolling her eyes a little. She kissed him softly again before getting up.

When she got to Logan's apartment, she found him sitting in his chair in front of his computer. She frowned. His computer wasn't even on and he was just staring into space. Her frown deepened and worry settled in her gut when she noticed that one of the chairs in the room was lying on the other side of the room, like he had thrown it. Everything that had been on his desk when she had come to see him earlier that day was lying on the floor.

"Logan." Max said uneasily. He turned to her and when their eyes met, there was so much pain and anger in his eyes that her voice stuck in her throat.

"Hey, Max." He said. Some of the anger and hurt bled into his voice.

"Logan, I-"

"You don't have to say anything, Max." He said, sounding incredibly bitter now. "I saw everything." Max's heart stopped for a moment.

"You saw?" "When you ran out, I followed you. I was worried, about you and Alec. And I saw..."

"Oh, god." Max whispered. She closed her eyes for a second. "Logan, I'm so sorry." She said, opening them again and meeting his.

"Your sorry?!" He shouted. Max flinched.

"I...I didn't want you to find out like that." She whispered. He laughed bitterly.

"Yeah, well. I did." He wasn't shouting anymore, but the hurt and bitterness in his voice was worse.

"Just leave, Max." He said, turning away from her again. Max stared at him for a moment. She blinked back tears and nodded.

"I'm sorry." She whispered one final time as she walked to the door and out of his life for good this time.

----------------------------------

Max walked a little numbly back to Alec's apartment. She hadn't wanted to hurt Logan like that. Guilt ate at her as she opened the door to his apartment and took in Alec, sitting on the couch.

He was staring at the TV, but she was sure he wasn't watching it. Probably waiting for her, worried. He turned to her when she closed the door softly. There was concern shining in his green eyes.

She didn't say anything, just walked over to the couch and sank down on it with him. She positioned herself so that she was in his arms, resting her head on his chest, listening to his heartbeat.

She felt the tears prick her eyes again. Her and Logan were over now for good. And even though she knew that it was for the best, that she didn't love him the way that she thought, she couldn't help the tears that threatened.

She hated the way that it happened. That she had hurt him. Then again, she realized that it would have hurt him anyway she did it. Maybe it wasn't the best way, him seeing her and Alec, but anyway would have hurt. And now, maybe he could move on too.

She hoped that he could. That he could find someone to make him happy too. He was a good person, just not the right one for her.

Feeling Alec's steady heartbeat under her head, Max let go. She let go of the guilt and pain. She let go of Logan and drifted off into a peaceful sleep.

--------------------------

Max couldn't ever remember sleeping so long. The events of the day before had been a little exhausting. Hunting down Joshua and then what had happened with Alec and Logan. She found it a little odd that she had found Joshua, broken up with Logan and declared her feelings for Alec all in a single day.

Still, she had only managed five hours. Her very nature not letting her sleep anymore than that. She had woken up on the couch, still halfway on top of Alec, head resting on his chest.

She laid there for a while, watching him sleep. She felt truly content, maybe for the first time in her life. She had never felt anything like it before. She remembered the way she had felt with Logan, and yeah, she had loved him, but it still hadn't felt right like this did. Maybe that was why she had fought it for so long.

Max's head snapped up suddenly when the door to the apartment opened, and her eyes met Ben's. Ben froze in the doorway and stared at them. Alec had jerked from his sleep at the sound and looked up at her a little confused before tilting his head back to see Ben as well. Max sat up abruptly and Ben smiled at the both of them.

"Don't get up on my account." He said, raising his hands and looking entirely to amused. Alec glanced at Max, who was sitting up on the sofa now, and rolled his eyes, smirking.

"Oh, come on, Maxie. Don't tell me your suddenly shy." Max scowled at him and looked between both men. The amusement dancing in Ben's eyes and Alec's smirk.

"I'll just go. Give you guys some time...alone." Ben said, backing out of the door. Alec shook his head at her, amusement dancing in his own eyes.

"This is definitely a new side of you, Max." He said. She grinned suddenly, leaning forward.

"Think I'm shy?" She asked. She kissed him, biting down on his lower lip. Her hand traveled lower, until he groaned against her lips, and she could feel the effect she was having through his jeans.

"You know." She murmured against his lips. "I really," she trailed her other hand under his shirt before abruptly pulling away, "have to go to work." Alec stared at her as she got up.

"Your kidding me, right?" She just grinned at him brightly, swinging her hips a little as she left.

------------------------------------

It didn't take long for her to realize that her plan to get back at Alec was backfiring in her face. She couldn't get him off her mind. The need was finally so bad that she found herself back at his apartment at lunch.

When she let herself into his apartment, she heard the shower running, and the burning desire in her gut only intensified.

When he came out of the bathroom, her heart stopped, and then started again, beating fast. He was wearing nothing but a small towel that barely covered him. His skin was still slightly damp from the shower and his hair was still wet and stuck out in all directions. He turned to her and the smirk came back.

"Back already." Max was on him in an instant. She flung herself into his arms and wrapped her legs around him.

"No talking." She growled. And, yeah, she could tell, as the towel dropped from his waist, that was just fine with him.


	19. Chapter 19

Note: Sorry, guys. No graphic sex scene here. This is rated T. 

Max had heard the term mind blowing before, who hadn't? But she was convinced now that she had never truly known what it meant until she had thrown herself into Alec's arms. Max was sure that she wouldn't have been able to describe what had followed after that first leap even if she wanted to.

The feel of him on top of her as he ripped her clothing away, the feel of his lips and teeth on her body had driven away conscious thought. She had never felt anything like it as her back arched under him.

When it was over, she lay halfway on top of him, her head resting on his chest once again and trailing small circles with her left hand. She was sore and satisfied in a way that she had never been before.

Neither of them said anything, they didn't have to. No words were needed. When she finally pulled herself away, he was almost asleep. She planted a soft kiss on his lips, and set out to check on Joshua. She probably needed to talk to Original Cindy too, so her friend didn't worry.

As she headed out, she didn't even think of what the file had said and what this meant, but she would think later that she probably should have.

---------------------------------

Max drove over to her apartment after checking on Joshua. A small smile was on her face at the fact that Alec would be waiting on her.

"Where have you been, girl?" OC asked as soon as she walked through the door. "You skip out from work and don't call-" OC stopped short when she caught sight of Max. Max looked down at herself and grinned a little sheepishly.

She was wearing on of Alec's shirts. It was his fault really. He had ripped hers. OC stared at her for a moment.

"Well, it's about time. I assume this glow is from soldier boy and not Logan." Max couldn't help it, she grinned. She realized that she hadn't talked to OC in a while and a lot had happened.

"Alright, spill." OC said, sitting down on the couch and patting the seat next to her. Max's smile widened and she sat down.

---------------------------------

Ben stood out in the hallway for a few seconds, wondering if he should knock first. He did live here, but he didn't want to walk in on Max and Alec again, especially if they were doing other things than sitting on the couch together.

After a moment, he rolled his eyes at himself and opened the door.

"I'm coming in. Hope everybody's dressed." He yelled out, his eyes closed.

"Very funny." Alec's voice sounded out and Ben opened his eyes. Alec stood in the doorway of his bedroom in a pair of light sweatpants, looking thoroughly amused. His hair stuck up in all directions and he had a lazy smile on his face.

"Guess you had a good night." Ben said, going over to the fridge to get something to drink. Alec smirked, coming over and sitting at the counter across from Ben.

"You could say that."

"Yeah, well. No details. She's still my sister." Alec simply shrugged.

"She's not in there, is she?" Alec shook his head, rolling his eyes at Ben.

"Went to check on Josh and talk to OC." Alec grinned at him. Ben nodded.

"Hey, so, Max is probably going to be gone for a while. I figure OC's gonna be wanting all the info on what has gone down over the past couple days." Ben nodded.

"Probably." He said. Alec nodded too, and chewed his lip for a moment.

"I was thinking, you want to order a pizza and watch some TV or something?" Ben stared at him.

"Yeah, sure." He said, a smile coming to his face. Alec nodded again.

"Good. I'll order." He got up to get the phone.

-------------------------------

"So, you two finally hooked up." OC said after Max had finished. She looked a little shocked, but Max couldn't blame her. A lot had happened the past two days.

"Yeah." Max said, running a hand through her hair. "I've never felt like this before-" She cut off at the look on OC's face.

"What's wrong?" OC didn't say anything, she simply grabbed Max's arm and pulled it between them. She pulled up her sleeve a little and Max froze. She stared at her wrist as small writing began to appear out of nowhere in a language Max had never seen before.

"What the hell?!"  
-------------------------------

Ben was happy. He and Alec seemed to be getting onto good terms. They spent the next hour eating pizza and laughing at some crappy movie that was playing on TV. They were nearly to the end of the movie when it all went to hell.

He and Alec were laughing at something on the screen when Ben noticed that his laugh was the only one sounding. He glanced over at Alec, and his face paled. Alec's eyes were wide and staring straight ahead. He was trembling too.

"Alec?" Ben said, getting up so he could kneel in front of him. Ben's fear went into full blown panic when Alec let out a strangled cry and pitched forward into Ben's arms, unconscious.

Note: Sorry that this chapter is shorter than I've been getting them, but I thought that was a good place to end it. Besides, I plan on updating again tomorrow, so I hope that makes up for it some.


	20. Chapter 20

Note: Here you guys go, as promised. I'm actually getting into a plot here now. Although I do love to write the Ben/Alec bonding and Max/Alec um, stuff. I figured it was about time to get into the plot. 

As he floated back into consciousness he was aware of one thing. Pain. A burning, horrifying pain that took his breath and made him want to scream and never stop at the same time. He had never felt so much of it. Nothing that Manticore had ever done to him compared to the torture in his body and that was saying something.

His eyes flew open, but he couldn't see. His vision whited out. He thought someone was with him, but he wasn't sure. He reached out blindly and thought someone took his hand but again, he couldn't be sure. He couldn't be sure beyond anything but the terrifying torture his body was going through.

It ripped through him with a vengeance and he wasn't sure he could take much more of it. He begged for the darkness to take him again, but it wouldn't. How could anyone endure this without passing out was beyond him.

-----------------------

Ben had finally gotten his panic under control. Alec was breathing, he could deal with this. He was actually thinking about calling Max when he heard a gasp from the couch and Alec started moving.

Ben went back over to him, hoping that Alec was waking up. What he saw made his panic flare up again, though.

Alec's eyes were squeezed shut and he was practically writhing on the small couch. Ben, not knowing what else to do, put hands on Alec's shoulders to make sure he didn't fall off. When Alec's eyes flew open, Ben had to bite back panic again and tears.

Alec's eyes were wide and unseeing, but Ben could see the fear and agony dancing in them. His mouth was open wide like he was trying to scream but couldn't. He reached out blindly and Ben took his hand.

He had to do something. Only problem was, he didn't know what he could do. He was just considering getting the phone when he heard footsteps outside in the hall and a few seconds later Max came bursting through the door.

"Your never going to believe this-" She cut off at the sight in the living room. Her eyes widened as she came over to them.

"Alec?" She knelt next to Ben, and gasped when Alec's back arched against the couch again in his pain.

"What happened?!" She asked, coming up on her knees and laying a hand on Alec's chest. His heart was beating way to fast, Ben could practically hear it thumping.

"I don't know." Ben said, gritting his teeth when Alec squeezed his hand painfully. He didn't let go, though. "We were just talking, watching some movie."

"This is my fault." Max said. She sat on the couch next to Alec and put a hand on his cheek.

--------------------------------------

Max had been a little frantic on her way back to Alec's house. She couldn't believe she had forgotten all about that file. Now it was coming back to bite her, too. She had immediately thought of Alec.

The file had said something about him too. What if he was getting the whole instant tattoo thing as well. When she had walked into the apartment and found Ben leaning over the couch with Alec writhing in pain on it, panic and fear had jumped in her, along with guilt. This was her fault.

She felt tears threaten when she sat on the couch next to Alec and looked into his eyes. They were filled with so much agony and terror. She was actually thinking of finding away to get him to the hospital, even though that was a bad idea, when his pain filled eyes focused on her.

"Max." He got out through gritted teeth, the word breathless. She put her hand on his cheek.

"I'm here, baby." She said, feeling tears prick her eyes.

"Max, please." He whispered. _Make it stop_. written clearly in his eyes. And, she wished she could. Just when she thought she couldn't take just watching this anymore, his back arched again and then he collapsed back on the couch, his eyes closing.

Checking him over, she breathed in a sigh of relief when she found that he was breathing normally and his heart rate was slowing back down. Ben stood up beside her.

"Should we do something?" He asked.

"What? We can't take him to the hospital. I could call one of Logan's doctors that helped us out before, I guess, but I don't know if any of them would be able to help"

"What do you mean?" Max looked down at Alec, feeling guilt again.

"I think I caused this." She said. She told Ben everything she had read in the file, and then showed him her arm where the words had appeared.

"So, you get writing on your skin, and Alec gets what? What the hell just happened to him?" It was a rhetorical question, he knew Max didn't know.

"I don't know." She said, answering him anyways. "I don't think whoever did this wanted to kill him, though." Ben nodded, hoping she was right.

---------------------------------

Max lay on Alec's bed, her arms wrapped around him. Ben had carried Alec in here and Max had laid down next to him. She wouldn't leave until she knew he was okay. She rested her head on his chest, listening to his heartbeat again like she had earlier that day, if for different reasons.

Despite what she had said to Ben, she was terrified that she was wrong, that he might never wake up. She didn't think she would survive that. They had just gotten this worked out.

It wasn't fair. It wasn't fair that he had to go through so much pain, when all she got was some writing on her skin. None of it was fair, if she was honest with herself. He had gone through so much pain in his life, she knew that, and now she was just adding to it.

She felt tears prick her eyes again at the thought of all the pain he had went through. At the thought that she was causing some of it. At the thought of losing him like this, for some reason she didn't even know.

Max sat up suddenly, a realization slapping her in the face. She looked down at Alec, and her jaw dropped a little with it.

She was in love with Alec. She loved him. Really loved him. She could feel it down deep in her soul, in her heart. After a moment, she laid down again and clung to him even tighter. She couldn't lose him now. She wouldn't.

-------------------------------

Alec woke up slowly. He sort of felt like he was floating. There was pressure at his side, a warm body pressed up against his. He sighed, remembering what had happened between him and Max. At the noise, the pressure left.

"Alec?!" At the worried tone of Max's voice, he opened his eyes, and frowned up at her.

"Max?" He said, and then his frown deepened at the hoarseness of his voice. He thought back, trying to remember why she was so worried, and then sat straight up beside her when what happened came back to him, his memory haunting him with the agony he had felt.

He groaned a little, looking over at Max. He didn't feel the pain anymore, but he did feel sore. Every one of his muscles sort of ached like he had run for days without stopping. Max put a hand on his cheek and he met her eyes. There were unshed tears in them.

"Are you okay?" She asked.

"I guess." He said. "What the hell happened?" Max looked away from him at the question and her hand dropped from his face.

"This is my fault." She whispered. Alec frowned again.

"Your fault? I'm pretty sure that's not true, Max."

"Remember the file?" She asked, turning her gaze back to his now. "I think that's what happened. I unlocked whatever was in your DNA coding when we..." She gestured to the bed.

"So, how does that make it your fault?"

"Are you even listening?" She asked, exasperated now. "I did this to you." Alec rolled his eyes.

"Right. And I suppose I was what? An unwilling participant in what went down here." He grinned at her and copied her gesture, indicating the bed. When she didn't say anything, he sighed and put a hand on her chin, forcing her to meet his eyes.

"Max, this wasn't your fault. You told me about the file, or rather, I found it. I knew something might happen. It takes two, honey, and I wasn't complaining." A slow smile spread on her face and he grinned back at her. Her smile faded, though, after a few seconds, and she held out her arm.

"This happened while you were out." She said, showing him the writing on her skin. His eyes widened slightly as he stared at her.

"So, it's what a message? From who?" She shrugged.

"Hell if I know. Whoever it is, I want to kick their ass for all of this, though." Alec grinned at her.

"You'd get all violent for me, huh?" Max didn't return the smile and he could see the last remnants of panic in her eyes.

"You really scared me, Alec." She said quietly. He sighed and pulled her back down to a lying position with him.

"I'm okay." He said. "And for the record, this? Worth the pain." She held onto him and Alec knew she was smiling. When she looked up at him again, though, the smile was gone again, replaced by a worried frown.

"We still don't know what this means. What this did to you."

"We'll deal with it." He said, brushing a strand of her hair out of her face. She nodded and laid her head down on her chest.

"Good. And if you ever scare me like that again, I'll kick _your_ ass." He let out a small laugh. He didn't tell her, as she drifted off how freaked out he really was about all this. It was a good thing that he was good at hiding his emotions. He truly believed that it was worth it to have her there in his arms, though.

He loved her, he knew that. He had come to that realization earlier while drifting off to sleep after they had made love. He loved her and there was no way he was giving that up. If he had to deal with a little pain to keep it, so be it.


	21. Chapter 21

Note: Hey, guys. This is my last chapter. I was thinking about making it longer with White and everything, but this turned into a romance story. Hope you like it. 

It was the next day that he started noticing the differences in himself. And, seriously, it was starting to freak him out. It wasn't bad things, but still...

He was more aware, that was the best way to describe it. His senses were always more sensitive than a normal persons, but now they were all hyper-sensitive. He was noticing things he would never notice before, and it was kind of driving him crazy.

Max had gone to work. She hadn't wanted to, Alec knew that she was scared to leave him alone, but he had convinced her to. She couldn't stay by him twenty four hours a day. Now, he didn't know what to tell her.

It wasn't just the fact that he was more aware. He had tested out his other abilities on a whim and found out that he was slightly stronger, slightly faster, could see slightly farther. Alec chewed his lip as he walked around the city. He didn't know what it meant, or why it was happening, and that was what was really driving him crazy.

He got back to his apartment and collapsed wearily on his couch. His muscles still ached slightly from whatever had happened to him to make him like this, and he was tired of worrying about it.

He closed his eyes and tried to clear his mind of all of it, when an image of the writing that had appeared on Max's skin floated through his mind. His eyes snapped open and he sat up straight on the couch.

He knew what they said, knew what it meant. He got up, intending to find Max, pausing only to think that he wanted to kill Sandoman, if it was him doing this.

--------------------------

Alec had went to find Original Cindy but she said that Max had ditched again in the middle of the day. Alec chewed his lip worriedly, trying to think where she would go. Then he smiled a little and headed towards the place.

Alec looked up at the Space Needle before heading up. He remembered Max telling him a few times that she liked to go up here to think.

When he got to the top, she was sitting, knees pulled up and close to the edge.

"Hey." He said, sitting down beside her. She looked over at him and smiled.

"Hey. How are you feeling?" Alec shrugged.

"I told you, I'm fine, Maxie." Alec shifted uncomfortably. "Actually, I figured out what this is all about." He reached over and took her hand, rubbing a finger over her wrist where the words had appeared.

"How?" Alec smirked a little.

"Apparently, it's in my coding." He rolled his eyes.

"And what does it all mean?" He grinned a little at her.

"Apparently, we're the saviors of the transgenic world." Max stared at him for a minute, and then she let out a laugh and laid back. Alec's grin widened for a second, and he laid down next to her. He stared up at the stars.

"So, we're the ones who are going to save all of our people. From what?" Alec shrugged.

"Hell if I know." Max lifted her head a little to look at him.

"So, we're supposed to fight off some threat against all transgenics. Except we don't know what it is." Alec nodded. "But it's over, right? I mean, your not going to fall out on me, again, are you?"

"Nope." Alec said. "Apparently Sandoman or whoever is doing this just wanted to give me an edge."

"That's good." Max laid her head down on his shoulder. "This is all so screwed up." She mumbled after a minute. Alec grinned.

"Yeah, I know." Alec lay there for a few minutes, with the comforting weight of Max at his side.

"Hey, Maxie?" Alec said after a while, his eyes closed.

"Yeah?"

"I love you." It came out easy, like he had said a hundred times before, and he wondered why he hadn't. Max shifted, wrapping one arm around his waist.

"I love you too." A soft smile came to Alec's face. Yeah, maybe they had a lot to work on, but it was okay, they would figure it out. Together.


End file.
